Darkly Humorous Fantasy Horror for Middle Graders

 

Image copied from Goodreads

Quincy's Curse by Keith Robinson is the first novel I've read by this author. I had the privilege of meeting Robinson at a Con I attended recently in Chattanooga, TN, Con Nooga. I highly recommend it as a con if you love books, theatre, film or anime as it has tracks for writers, theatre and film actors and for those who just love all things anime or sci-fi/fantasy. After hearing Robinson talk on some writing panels and learning that he wrote mainly for middle grade readers, I picked up a couple of his books. I will say that I was not at all disappointed that I did after reading Quincy's Curse.

Unlike many of his other novels, this one by Robinson is a standalone story. One that incorporates a villainous demon inspired from German folktales that I'd never heard of before. But that isn't the only thing that sets this story apart from other fantasies I've read for this age group. Quincy's Curse starts off with dark humor and a contemporary tone set in a medieval world in a similar vein to something written by Terry Pratchett. For instance, we have a grumpy old man who wears long robes, has a beard and dabbles in magic but refuses to be categorized as a wizard. We also have Quincy, the titular character, who is somehow cursed with both good, bad and sometimes terribly rotten luck and Megan a village girl determined to befriend him. The novel is also populated with dragons, knights both inept and competent, witches and a host of other magical and mystical beings. But even though it begins with quirky, somewhat light-hearted humor it is mixed with some truly dark and complicated themes throughout as the story unfolds. 

I was drawn in by the humor and the unusual world. But I also found it amazing how the story is told. Rather than following just one or two main point-of-view characters, we instead are introduced to a new character with each chapter. Each one in some way helps to move the plot along and reveal a new thread that somehow ties in with Quincy and his curse. For this reason, the story also unfolds in a non-linear fashion as some characters take us back in time while others give us information about more current events. Often with stories that have so many characters, I find it hard to stay invested. How can you become attached to a story with some many perspectives after all? Nevertheless, Robinson is able to weave in clear stakes and clear character development in the space of a chapter for each individual and in the end, the fact that it all relates to the mystery surrounding Quincy kept me reading. I also appreciated how some characters are likeable and lovable, while others are much more complex, sometimes with truly tragic results. The villains in the story are truly scary individuals, too. So, if you don't like stories that can get dark and that have horror elements to them, you might want to steer clear of this one. That being said, as this is geared toward younger readers, Robinson does a fine job of keeping things from getting too horrific for his audience and the story does come to a satisfying end with a happy for now sort of conclusion for Quincy and his friends. 

My only complaint for this novel was the fact that I found Quincy the one character that I connected to the least. To me, he was less developed in terms of his internal wants and needs. He is sort of a sad sack throughout the book who has accepted his fate and doesn't seem to think there is any hope of ever escaping it or even figuring out how he got cursed in the first place. I would say Megan, who becomes his best friend, has more agency and motivation throughout the story than he does. For this reason, though I did enjoy this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes dark humor and fantasy, I would rate it a 4.5 out of 5 stars rather than a full 5 stars.  If you love fantasy/horror with a good mix of humor or have a middle school aged reader who would enjoy that sort of fantasy, I do recommend checking out Quincy's Curse. If you would like to pick up a copy of your own and review it, you would also be helping to promote an indie author, as Keith Robinson independently publishes all his own work. By clicking on the book title you will be taken directly to Amazon where you can purchase a copy both as a digital Kindle or a print paperback edition.

Stay tuned for my next review in a couple of weeks. I'll be reviewing the first in a five book series by another independently published author, Alisha Klapheke, from her Dragons Rising series. Check out the blurb and book cover below for Fate of Dragons, both copied from Amazon.

Image copied from Amazon

The world will drown beneath the waves…only the last mage can stop it.

Vahly, the last mage, is the world’s biggest disappointment. Raised by the dragons, she was born to become the magical Earth Queen, the only one who can stop the Sea Queen’s mad plan to drown everything in existence.

But there’s one problem: Vahly possesses no magic whatsoever.

The oceans begin to rise, limiting the dragons’ hunting grounds and fouling their water supply, endangering their very home. Vahly can’t let the dragons she calls family die under the Sea Queen’s magic, so as a last hope, she journeys to a legendary arcane library in search of answers.

When she discovers an ancient scroll about a ritual conducted deep in the homeland of the elves, she gathers her dragon allies to find the king of that great, forest-dwelling race.

Before she reaches that kingdom, she finds a handsome elven royal cloaked in dark magic, twisted and powerful. Arcturus. His memory has holes he can’t explain, and when they learn his king is in league with the Sea Queen, Vahly and Arcturus must band together to defeat the elven king and to gain access to the secrets of Vahly’s unique magic before the ocean swallows the dragons’ homeland.

***The Dragons Rising series is appropriate for all ages.

***Written in the same world as Enchanting the Elven Mage, Kingdoms of Lore Book One